Vendors

Google and LG have entered into a patent cross-licensing deal, the latest partnership seeking to reduce the threat of lawsuits between major tech companies.

The agreement, announced on Tuesday, covers "a broad range of products and technologies" built on the two companies' existing patents as well as those they file over the next 10 years, they said. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

"We're pleased to enter into this agreement with a leading global technology like LG," said Allen Lo, Google's deputy general counsel, in a statement.

The agreement is likely to stave off any potential patent lawsuits between the two companies like the drawn out, costly legal battles that have ensued between Apple and Samsung or Google and Oracle. Google's Android OS is in a number of LG smartphones and the South Korean company owns patents covering smartphones, consumer electronics and other portable gadgets.

But perhaps more importantly, the Google-LG patent arrangement may support new technology for connected devices for the home.

LG has already partnered with other companies like Google and Nest to develop Internet-connected home appliances. LG also offers its line of Smart ThinQ appliances that can be monitored and controlled from afar using a mobile app.

The deal allows each company easier access to technology from the other.

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​Inside the new HP Customer Welcome Centre in Sydney…

HP unveiled its new Customer Welcome Centre (CWC) in Sydney this week, following on more than a year after the vendor opened the doors of its Experience Centre in Melbourne (MEC). The new space offers on-site HP technicians and visiting channel partners the ability to reconfigure equipment and put together tailored solutions based on the needs of individual end clients or target vertical markets. The centre can also be booked by customers and partners for meetings, events, workshops, seminars, and training. Photos by HP.

Zscaler Australia toasts the channel at Xmas drinks

Zscaler recently hosted its partner update and Christmas drinks event in Australia where more than 20 partners attended the event at the QT hotel in the Sydney. The event provided a forum for the company to update its Australian partners on the company's strategy for cloud security in the year ahead. It was also a great opportunity for the company to introduce Sean Kopelke as country manager for A/NZ. The event ended with Christmas drinks and a celebration of momentum gained in 2016.

IN PICTURES: ​Nutanix X Tours

Nutanix recently held two ‘X Tours’, which brought the company’s flagship event .NEXT to Brisbane and Melbourne. Customers and partners got a firsthand look at the new era of IT and exposure to the potential of the Nutanix Enterprise Cloud platform. Both events featured key speakers both from Nutanix and its partners.

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